Fleeting Freedom
by MEStarr
Summary: Elena and Caroline decide to take a road trip to New York after the events of 2x22, what happens when they get a bit too wasted in a club one night? How will Elena cope with this most recent disaster in her life. Damon/Elena
1. Preview

**Vampire Diaries Fanfiction**

New story! Woo Hope you enjoy it. It is Damon/Elena eventually. A lot of Caroline/Elena _friendship_ because I love Caroline.

(Caroline's POV)

I'd had enough. I had to get out of here, this God forsaken town. There was too much drama…too much paranormal activity. Wait…I could never get away from that. Damn Katherine turning me into a damn vampire; I couldn't even die like a human. I'd go grey and shrivel up, all vein and nasty.

Klaus had taken Stefan, who was now supposed to be a Ripper, whatever that meant. It can't be good. Damon was still recovering from his near-death-experience in the form of a were-wolf bite. Tyler was mourning Jules. The Gilberts and Alaric were mourning Jenna. Elena was upset about Stefan. My mum knew about vampires…well, nothing new there…but she knew about me. She'd killed Jeremy by mistake. Bonnie brought him back and now had a hundred dead witched pissed off with her so she couldn't use their powers anymore. And Jeremy was seeing dead people. Matt was just persistently trying and failing to remain oblivious.

All was not well in Mystic Falls.

On getting home from the Salvatore Boarding House after checking in on Damon (like he needed it), I'd made my decision and grabbed an over-night bag. I wrote my mum a note and jumped in the car with the full intention of skipping town…for a while at least. But it was just my luck that the only road out of town from my house was that which passed by the house of my best friend. And I just couldn't keep going.

(Elena's POV)

"Elena?"

"Yes Jer?"

"Vicky says she's sorry for trying to kill you."

I sighed and closed my eyes for a second, coming to the conclusion quickly that I really needed to get out of here. "That's okay. Goodnight Jer." I muttered, standing up from the couch and heading to the stairs. Halfway up I heard him clear his throat and sighed again, "Night Vicky, Anna."

My room didn't offer any refuge like it used to. I didn't even look around it, just stumbled over and fell face first onto the bed; lost somewhere between breaking down and laughing at my own self-pity.

"Up."

I jolted upright at the sudden voice at my window. Expecting to see Damon, I was surprised at the sight of Caroline watching me with a determined expression, hands on hips. "Oh, hey Care. What's up?"

"Life. Now, wake up, pack a bag. You can sleep in the car." She instructed, already opening my wardrobe to retrieve a bag.

"Whoa! Slow down! What are you talking about?" I stood up; staring at her like she was mad.

"We're getting out of here! C'mon El, you know as well as I do that we both need to get out of Mystic Falls for a while." Could she read my mind? Her expression was almost pleading, "Just a time out." Damon had said the exact same thing when he kidnapped me and took me to Georgia.

I felt a smile spread over my face, "Five minutes. I'll meet you in the car after I tell Jeremy…and the ghosts." Now she just looked ecstatic and perhaps a little surprised that I'd agreed. With an excited squeal she leapt out the window and I set to word; throwing clothes and other necessities into a bag. Once done I ran down the stairs with the bag over my shoulder, "Jer! Listen, I'm going away with Caroline for a few days." He was still watching TV in the living room.

He blinked at me, then acknowledged my words, "What? Oh, okay. Why?"

"Just to get away. We'll be back soon thought, promise. And you've got the ghosts to keep you company." I smirked.

He glanced over at something (someone) on the other sofa, then back at me with an amused smile, "Vicky didn't appreciate that. But yeah, they'll keep me sane…wait…"

Laughing, I said "She'll be fine. I gotta go Jer."

He nodded, "Sure, have fun, and stay as safe as you can."

I laughed and turned to go, then got another thought, "Hey, can you not tell Damon. You know what he'd like. Tell him I'm with Caroline and I'm safe if he asks, but nothing more." He nodded and we said one more goodbye before I dashed out of the house to the big black SUV across the road. I jumped in and threw my bag in the back, "Let's do this."

"Week-long bender coming right up!" she laughed, turning the volume up as we pulled out the space. We sped out of town with the White Lies 'Fifty on Our Foreheads' blasting out the car. Leaving everyone…leaving Damon. But we would finally be fleetingly free.

**Just a start but I hope you liked it. I've planned the next few chapters already but there's always room for suggestions **

**-M**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fleeting Freedom – Chapter Two**

(Elena's POV)

When I woke up I was lying in a huge, luxurious, queen-size canopy bed. The sheets were white with a white comforter with small blue flowers embroidered onto it. Staying curled up in my little cave of duvet; I let my eyes wander around the room in amazement. It seemed to be an incredibly posh hotel room with a colour scheme of…wait for it…white and blue. Four wooden doors; one onto a small balcony, semi-hidden by thin white curtains which blew in the wind. Another led into an en-suite which looked pretty impressive; one I guessed went out to a hallway of sorts. And the fourth I imagined leads the way into some sort of walk-in wardrobe, for lack of any other ideas.

But where actually was I…how was I here? And where was Caroline?

Yawning, I dragged myself out of bed, looking down to see me in yesterday's oversized Rolling Stones shirt and my underwear. Brushing my hair out of my face lazily, I crossed the balcony and gasped at the view ten stories below me.

I was in Manhattan.

No-one could mistake _that _traffic jam; yellow cabs, limos and blaring horns.

"Hey you're awake!" I turned to see Caroline dumping armfuls of shopping bags on the navy velvet loveseat beneath the window, "You sleep forever woman!"

I grinned and stepped inside, "New York…you brought me to New York."

She shrugged, smiling like she was so proud of herself, "You've always wanted to come here. So why not?" I laughed and launched myself into a hug, feeling unusually giddy for the change of scenery.

"Thank you so much Care! I see you got some early shopping in." There were at least twenty bags on the seat, and I spotted a fair number of designer names among them.

"The joys of compulsion. There are good things to being a vampire ya know." She grinned.

I gaped at her, "You stole them?"

"No! I asked very kindly and I was given them! I tell you Elena; shop clerks in New York are so much nicer to the ones in Mystic Falls."

My morals were screaming at me to tell her to take them back, but really, who cares, "Yeah, that's because they're not all bunnin' vervain." I muttered, a smile spreading over my face, "So what's the time? I wanna party!" It looked like it was getting dark already; I must've been asleep for ages.

"Almost eight…as I said…you sleep forever. Soo…I think we should dress up and hit the clubs! Neither of us have really let go in too long." Agreeing, I decided to jump in the shower first; grooming intensively from head to toe and for once managing not to cut my legs with the razor. Wanting to feel good, I donned my sexiest black underwear, followed by a dress I found in one of the bags. It was strapless and the darkest of reds. It had a simple thick empire waistline and the material fell to about mid-thigh. I paired it with some five inch black velvet platforms and pulled my hair up into a neat, high ponytail at the crown of my head which ended halfway down my back. Some dark make-up to complete the look.

Caroline gaped when I re-emerged from the bathroom, "Gilbert! You look _hot_!"

I laughed, "You don't look bad yourself." She was in a simple blue dress of similar length and the back fell right down to the bottom of her back. She handed me a tequila shot and I knocked it back without a word,

"Let's roll baby girl!"

The club was packed by the time we arrived; skipping the queue and compelling security to let us in without trouble. The heavy bass was radiating through the room and the multitude of bodies. On the dance floor couples were grinding and dancing; completely unaware of their surroundings. Caroline dragged me to the bar and got us drinks easily. It didn't take long for her to disappear in amidst the dancers with some random guy.

Not five seconds later, I followed suit.

(Damon's POV)

I had to see Elena. Well, I didn't _have_ to…I wanted to. She hadn't been around in a few days and hadn't been answering her phone. Truth be told I was worried about her. First Stefan leaves…what if she'd gone too? People would have told me if she was in any trouble…and if the didn't, they were idiots.

In the morning I decided to head to the Gilbert house, hearing two heartbeats inside. So she was here? Just ignoring me…why? I knocked on the door and it took a minute for Jeremy to open it, "Hey Vampire."

"Hey Ghost-Whisperer." I countered, "Where's your sister?"

He frowned, "She told me not to tell you."

Oh god, what's she doing now? Fuck, if she'd gone after Stefan… "Where is she?" I ground out, actually scared that she'd done something stupid. He looked hesitant and l let out a growl, clenching my fists, "Jeremy I swear to God…"

"Jeez! Calm down. She's gone, Damon. Her and Caroline skipped town a few nights ago." He told me like it was nothing and I was being ridiculous.

I froze…what? She's left? She'd left town just like that and hadn't even bothered to let me know? I could feel rage bubbling up inside me, but even I didn't expect that strong a reaction to the news. Jeremy could tell I was getting angry, "Damon! Dude! She's safe. She's with Caroline, who is a vampire partly thanks to you. And she'll be back; they're not gone forever."

Before I knew I'd done it I'd grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall, "Where. Are. They?"

"Fuck! Damon get off me! I have no idea where they are! I didn't ask. If you want her so bad then call her. Or Caroline. They both have phones."

"Because I haven't already tried that." I snapped sarcastically, letting him go. My hand raked through my hair and I closed my eyes, trying to think, "Let me get this straight. Your sister lost her brother who then came back from the dead, lost her aunt, was sacrificed by an Original vampire, came back from the dead and in doing so lost her biological father, then broke up with her boyfriend who later became a Ripper; and a load of other shit. She then tells you she's 'going away for a few days'…and you don't even bother to ask where?"

He nodded slowly, "I guess…but she seemed fine."

"Oh that's alright then!" I blew out a deep breath, managing to maintain something like calm, "Where's the witch?"

"No, you can't use Bonnie! She's been through so much and she can't use the other witches anymore! She's weak."

Another sigh and I rolled my eyes, "I'm not asking for their power, just hers."

He shook her head, "She won't help you. And you should realize that Elena doesn't _want_ you to find her. If she did she wouldn't have told me specifically not to tell you anything. Just let her be and for once in your life respect her wishes. She _needs_ time. And you're going to let her have it."

(Elena's POV)

_ *Damon's on your case. Trying to get Bonnie to find you. Watch out for the Big Bad Vampire. – Jeremy*_

"Care-Bear, Damon's after us." I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, pulling the duvets over me and slipping my arms under the pillow. I looked up slightly to look at her lying in a similar position about two feet away from me, casually sipping at a blood bag.

"Screw him. Bonnie won't help him." She shrugged and threw a half-hearted strike in her direction, "What! I know, pardon the pun. You're just jealous cos' you haven't had the opportunity…scrap that…you've never _taken_ the opportunity."

"Caroline! I am not going to 'screw' Damon Salvatore!" I exclaimed, pushing myself up onto my elbows and looking down at her.

"No…you're gonna make sweet luuurrrvvveee-"I threw a pillow at her head, cutting her off, "Calm it 'Lena, just kidding."

I smiled and slumped back down, "Maybe…" she gasped, staring at me in absolute shock and I laughed "What!" she laughed in astonishment and shook her head, "Do you think we should head home soon? We've been gone four days already and I feel bad for leaving everyone."

"Leaving Damon you mean," she teased and I just sent an amused glare in her direction. She sighed and shrugged, "Do you want to do home?"

"No…not yet." That made her brighten up, "But, I do think that we should get up and go for a full on night out. We've spent the whole day in bed, calling room service for endless amounts of food. Right now I just want to dance and get so wasted I can't remember it the next day."

She let out a whoop of agreement, "Done and _done_! We'll start at Firez, end in oblivion."

**Sorry the chapters are so short; I'll try and make them a little longer. Please review so I know how to improve this story. Thank you,**

**-M**


	3. Chapter 3

**Fleeting Freedom – Chapter Three**

**Two updates in one day! Be happy; this never happens. **

**Thank you so much for so many story alerts etc. I just got a message saying I have 29 days before my computer crashes again so I'll try and get it up before then. Nice of them to tell me this time though.**

**I know the chapters aren't long but I'm going about a thousand words in each.**

**Hope you all enjoy this, the plot is about to begin; let the drama commence! **

(Elena's POV)

We did start in Firez. And I'm pretty sure there was a lot of oblivion in the night. My hair was curled to perfection and I wore a black bodycon dress that cut off mid-way down my thigh and dipped low to the small of my back. The same black platforms as the other night and a black leather jacket (complete with a few silver shoulder studs). Caroline had insisted on 'buying' it for me, hinting that 'somebody'…ahem…would like it. Well…I liked it.

Just as countless times before, the music was pounding through Firez. It seemed there were hundreds of bodies all moving around as one and heavy baseline was just shy of deafening. They had some pretty decent dub step remix's going and the drops were perfect. After half an hour we were buzzing, dancing with each other before being pulled off my random guys. Their faces hardly registering in my alcohol influenced gaze. I had my phone in one jacket pocket and a little vervain dart tucked inside…I was ready for anything.

The guy with the dark hair and blue eyes was pulling me closer, spinning me around and grinding against my back. I caught Caroline's eye as she danced with Blondie, she gave and enthusiastic thumbs up and I took that as my signal to fully participate in the dancing. We had a system like that; if the guy was good-looking, we'd slyly let the other know our approval and if not they'd subtly 'go get a drink'. We were young; we were allowed to be shallow sometimes.

The minutes flew by; rapidly turning into hours. I was in my own little world; delirious and blissfully unaware. I'd lost track of Caroline some time ago, not sure how long that was. I felt myself being spun through the crowd of animalistic dancers. Suddenly I was in a private booth with three other people, casually snorting up some lines or popping pills. Once such pill appeared in my hand with a flask of something or other. I swallowed both without a second thought; the strong alcohol burning my throat.

Blue Eyes had his arms wrapped around my waist and was slowly grinding against me. I laughed, feeling really strange and unusually light headed. The room was spinning around in front of me and…wait…I swear that girl had three heads…

"C'mon babe; I know a great place," A low, husky voice whispered in my ear…it was too low. Again, I found myself moving through the crowds; so dizzy that the whole room seemed to be spinning like fairground teacups. Frowning, I tried to make sense of it, what was going on?

Next thing I knew I was walking into a wall of cold, night air, the music was suddenly muffled and I was being pushed roughly against a brick wall. Blue Eyes was latched onto my neck and I felt the frown deepened as he pressed flush against me.

I protested weakly, struggling to hold onto consciousness all of a sudden; my head was throbbing. I pushed at his chest, "No…Damon, no I don't want-"I mumbled, hearing a throaty chuckle in my ear as he found it; biting the lobe slightly.

"Who's Damon baby? You been cheating on me already now? That's not very promising."

Who was this guy? His hands were moving; lower…lower…no…My dress was moving; higher…higher, "Stop…" I slurred, "Damon…help, Dam'n…"

"Damon's not here baby. But I'm better." The wall seemed to disappear from behind me, and then he suddenly crashed me back into it with extra force. The rough bricks scraped at my skin but I hardly noticed the blood or the pain. He was moving again.

I didn't want this.

I wanted Damon.

(Caroline's POV)

Something was wrong…something was very, very wrong.

I was fine though. In the back of…Callum's (!) truck. We were perfectly fine. The club was less than a minute away around the corner and I'd be back with Elena in less than ten minutes.

That's it…something was wrong with Elena!

Compelling Callum (aka Blondie) to forget, I threw my dress back on and dashed out of the car; ears open to sounds a block away. Damn music got in the way. Back in the club, I couldn't see her on the dance floor anymore. I did five rounds of the club, then another at vampire speed which proved that she wasn't there.

I remembered the guy she'd been dancing with…or claimed by. He'd had dark hair and dull blue eyes; dressed in all black. He was like a not-anywhere-near-as-buff Damon wannabie. Trapped in my thoughts in the middle of the crazy dancers, I almost missed that little whiff of her scent and I took of in chase. The real Damon would torture, and then stake me if _anything_ at all happened to her. And that meant anything; even if she tripped up the stairs and bumped her head. I'd be D.E.A.D. _Double _dead.

The trace led me out to a dingy alley where the heavy bass could just be heard still. Enabling the vampire hearing, I heard something else. Without a doubt the sounds of a couple who had, perhaps, got a little too 'into' their dancing. I paid no attention; couples having 'couple time' in alleys behind clubs wasn't totally unheard of and I for one didn't really want to hear it.

"Stop…please…stop Damon."

Oh _hell_ no!

Barely thinking and literally blinded with anger, I threw the Damon-lookalike none too gently across the alley. My best friend had slumped down on the ground, dress all bunched up and tears flooding down her face. I compelled the guy to stay put so I could 'deal with him' later on and gathered Elena up into my arms; guilt coursing through me. "Oh my God Elena, I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" I cried, brushing her hair back and holding her tight, "Let's get you home."

I would have liked to spend days with the guy, just making him truly regret everything he'd done. Making him _hurt_. Turning into a real vampire on him and making sure his last few hours, beyond a doubt the most nightmarish and awful. But I knew Elena needed me first. And I wasn't going to leave her.

Scooping her into my arms, I super-speeded back to the apartment/hotel and put her into bed. I was in shock. Why did this have to happen to her? After everything. Why hadn't I been there for her? Me, as one of the few people who could actually help and stop her from getting hurt. But I suppose, being so long under threat from other supernatural beings, you forget the danger and power that a human can hold.

**Like? Don't like? Please review and let me know**

**-M**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fleeting Freedom - Chapter Four**

**Bit of a long one for you now. Hope it's worth it **

(Caroline's POV)

She didn't talk for a day. Nothing apart from a quiet 'I'm fine' every once in a while. Yeah she was fine…F.I.N.E like Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional. That kind of fine. She spent the majority of the time buried in the bed; or on the chair on the balcony, wrapped up in the huge duvet and just staring at the sky, the birds or the traffic below. After the first few hours, she didn't cry at all. She didn't smile or show any kind of emotion whatsoever. Her face was just blank, perhaps a little frown creasing her forehead.

I knew she wanted to be alone so I stayed out of her way. Sleeping lightly on the couch; ready for anything she threw at me, literally.

For hours at night she tossed and turned; her breathing never quite evening out. Then, at almost two o'clock in the morning, she suddenly jumped up and ran into the bathroom; locking the door. I was up the second I heard the lock slid home, "Elena?" I could hear her taking deep breaths, pacing the room, "Elena, are you okay? Open the door." My voice sounded strange, ringing out eerily in the silent room.

A minute later she replied, "No…um…I'm fine Care. Just want a shower. Go back to sleep." She sounded weak. I didn't know what to do; were you supposed to allow people to shower after something like this? Wasn't that bad? God, I was so bad at this! The water turned on and I sighed, moving back to the couch and sitting down with my head in my hands. How had I let this happen? How could this happen to a person who had three vampires to protect her, plus a witch (and, I guess, a werewolf). All of those who'd kill for her, at least two who'd die for her. How was it possible that despite all of that, she still managed to get hurt so much and so often. Even on a time-out to rediscover the world of normality were everybody was ignorant to the paranormal beings that lingered and walked among them. She was a target to anything and everything.

It must have been almost an hour before the water finally cut off, replaced by the sound of quiet sniffing as she got out of the shower and changed back into her pyjamas. I'd heard her sobbing but couldn't do anything without breaking the door down, which I did consider. When the bolt scraped back I looked up, not surprised by her red eyes or unsteadiness. "Oh Elena…" I sighed. Her face crumpled and she couldn't hold it in anymore. In a second I'd pulled her into the tightest hug I could without crushing her.

"Why me-"she cried, her tears staining my shirt. I hushed her and settled her down in the bed, cradling her to me and rocked her gently until her breathing finally evened out. I was tempted to compel her to forget, just to make her better again, but I knew I couldn't do that. She'd hate me if she found out. We all knew what happened when she told Damon to compel Jeremy to forget. I didn't answer her, because I really didn't know the answer.

Why her?

(Elena's POV)

Two days after that we decided to leave New York; understandably not wanting to be around the place where it happened. Caroline had helped me so much with her looking after me. She'd talked and effectively counselling me for two days. I cried…we both did. I felt horrible, violated…but that was expected. I showered every hour; trying in vain to wash away the memory. But you can't turn back time; I would know. The only way to get past things like this was to accept it for what it was and move on. It was just so difficult to accept.

Caroline kept sending me those blatantly sympathetic glanced and, try as I might, I couldn't ignore it. We were about twenty kilometres from Mystic Falls and the tension was building.

"Seriously Caroline, if you keep looking at me like that; no-one's going to believe that we had a carefree break with no drama or tears." I sighed, looking away from the window and at her, catching her mid-pity-glance.

She frowned, gripping the steering wheel tightly, "I'm sorry, I just…I still can't understand how you're so…so, okay. I keep thinking that you're about to fall apart on me any second. I'm waiting for it!"

"Well don't! I am okay. I've more or less accepted it Care. I got raped, it happens. There are a million other girls in the world who have it way worse. I'm fine. But if you keep looking at me like that, then I'll keep thinking about it and analysing it in my head…then I'll never get past it. So just…please…stop."

Holding eye contact, I saw the reluctance but she just gave a small not and turned back to the road. Not long later we passed the 'Welcome to Mystic Falls' sign and my heart began to beat wildly, not helping my case to Caroline. Damn vampires and their impeccable hearing. I continued to ignore her relentless concerned looks and focused on mentally preparing myself. When we pulled up outside my house I sat and took a deep breath, "You want me to come in with you?" she asked.

I shook my head, "No, I'm good." With a final smile in her direction, I opened the door and slid out, "Hey, thank you Care. I know it ended kinda badly but I had a lot of much needed fun. And thank you for helping me. Don't know what I would've done without you."

"It's okay El…I'm always here remember. Now go, get some sleep and call me later." I nodded and grabbed my bags out of the back. There were considerably more of them now than before. Another deep breath and I was in my seemingly empty house. I took my bags and dumped them in my room before jumping into the shower. The hot water was like heaven on my skin after all the hours in the car. I tried to stop my mind from going back to the other night but it was useless. The tears disguised themselves in the water but they were there.

'Jesus…when did I become this pathetic?' I thought, 'Another thing went wrong in your life. So what! Deal with it!…You know how.'

So I wiped my face, got dressed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

"Elena…Elena wake up!"

Groaning, I opened my eyes to see a blurry face hovering above me; hands on my shoulders…dark hair…blue eyes. Not thinking straight after the bad dream and the abrupt wake up, I let out a scream and bolted across the room. Staring at the man in terror, it took me a minute to realise that it was only my brother, Jeremy; brown hair…green eyes.

"Holy…What the _hell_ was _that_!"

I took a deep to calm myself down, "Sorry Jer…bad dream. Kind of re-living it for a second there."

He looked unsure, "You're telling me. You woke me up with your 'bad dream'." He smirked and moved round the bed to pull me into a hug. Without even thinking I stiffened as he touched me, my heart rate increasing. He must have noticed, "What's wrong with you? What happened?"

"Nothing. We just went to New York; went out, lived the lives of normal, average, 18 year old human beings. We had fun." Well it wasn't really a lie.

"What! You went to New York without me! I'm jealous." He smiled, leaning back against the dresser.

I smiled and shrugged before yawning, "Sorry, by the way…for waking you up."

"It's fine, it's midday anyway. I'm going to Bonnie's in a bit and I wanted to see you before I left; you've been gone a week." Oh I needed to see Bonnie too; perhaps Caroline already had. Was it strange, though, that I kind of liked my little brother going out with my best friend? I thought they were kind of cute together, "You know Damon was kinda going crazy. I don't think he likes not knowing where you are. Control freak."

I laughed quietly, "Yeah I might go see him later. Did he do anything dumb and Damon-like while we were away?"

He shrugged, "Just casually threw me into a few walls, trying to get information out of me. Standard, ya know."

My eyes widened, "_He what!_ I am going to kill-"

"It's fine! Elena don't worry about it. Bonnie gave him a few migraines."

Serves him right, I'm still going to shout at him, "Any word from Stefan?"

He shook his head, "No, sorry. Bonnie did a spell but it didn't work. We don't know if it's because of Klaus of the witches. She can still do everything she could do before them but it might be different because he's an original and everything."

Nodding, I moved to my bags and pulled out some black skinny jeans, a loose black tank top and some underwear, "Okay, well I'll go see the crazy vampire in a bit. But a shower first." He stood and moved to leave, "Tell Bonnie I said hi and that I'll go round to see her later on." He nodded and left.

Somehow I managed not to get my hair wet; it was still curled from the other day. I changed and put on some make-up before heading downstairs. Noting the strangely cold temperature in the house, I pulled on my leather jacket on top.

I was actually nervous about going to the Boarding House. As I got in the car and made my way over a few hours later, I actually found myself hoping that he wouldn't be there. I knew he'd be pissed…beyond pissed. And he'd probably be able to tell that something happened. I couldn't help but wonder what he'd do to Caroline if he found out.

Unlike usual, no-one appeared at the door before I'd had a chance to knock. Perhaps I was lucky this time? The house seemed totally empty. The parlour looked strange without the usual roaring fire and the black-clad vampire casually sipping a glass of vintage bourbon on the sofa. However, the half-empty bottle was still sitting there proudly on the coffee table. The glass beside it also had a little of the amber liquid in; that was strange in itself. Usually Damon would down it within seconds of pouring it…he would _never_ leave it for someone else to steal.

"Damon?" I called out tentatively; hearing no sound at all. Where was he? From what Jeremy had said I assumed he was still in Mystic Falls; he hadn't left in search of Stefan yet. "Damon? You here? No...thank you God." I finished under my breath, probably a bad idea anyway.

With one final sweep of the upstairs balcony I turned and froze, staring at the doorway. There stood a very, very angry looking vampire. For a second I didn't see past the hair and eye colours and my heart began to race. Then I realised it was Damon and let out a long breath, but for some reason my heart didn't calm. Damn…he'd hear that. "There you are." My tone was not quite enthusiastic.

A low growl tore through his mouth and in the blink of an eye his face was inches from mine. Not helping my frantic heart. I took a few quick steps backwards until my legs hit the sofa, fear on my face without a doubt. _Was_ I scared of him? He looked so similar…His glare was so intense but, either out of fright or courage, I couldn't look away, "Where. The. _Hell._ Have you been?" he ground out.

I swallowed thickly, wishing I could run away but I felt so incredibly helpless, "New York." I stifled, "Time out." Damn this sofa! I couldn't back away anymore.

Well that didn't seem to make him any happier, "A break? A _break_! Are you serious!" he demanded incredulously, taking a step forwards and I could barely hold in the little whimper, tempted to jump over the sofa and distance myself more. That wouldn't do much; he'd catch me before I could move; the veins around his eyes were already showing.

I took a deep breath, "I'm not talking to you like that." I managed, "Scaring me isn't going to help."

Now that seemed to shock him and he backed up slightly. He looked at me wide eyed, disbelieving almost, "I scare you?" I didn't reply; I wasn't about to tell him that right now, yes…I was scared of him. "You're actually scared." It was more of an amazed statement. Suddenly he spun round and downed the previously abandoned glass of bourbon. Not turned to face me again, he asked after a minute, "What's wrong with you?" Again I didn't answer, though more out of confusion this time. He glanced over his shoulder, sighed and walked back into my space. My breath caught in my throat as he placed his hand over my heard; the contact made a shudder run through me and I let out another little noise, just wanting to run away, "Your heart is going into over-drive. So what's wrong? It's _me,_ Elena; I _know _you so I know I don't scare you this much. What's wrong?" he looked worried.

I could hear Damon's voice, I knew it was him; but that wasn't his face…that was another mans face…"Can I go now?" I whispered, a frown appearing on the strangers face, "Please let me go…"

He looked utterly lost for words but didn't stop me as I rushed past him and out of the house, wondering why the hell I'd gone there in the first place. Speeding back down the road into town I realised I was driving completely recklessly, tears in my eyes and very likely to crash into something. Most likely a vampire knowing my luck…oh wait, that's already happened.

Jeremy had already left so I went straight up to my room; locked the doors and fell into bed. Thoughts were racing through my head and it took me a while to realise what I'd just done. I'd seen Damon as the rapist. As in I actually saw his face instead of Damon's. That was so wrong. How the hell could I mistake Damon, one of my best friends, as someone who'd done…_that_…to me! I needed to make this right.

But seriously, how was I meant to when I couldn't even see his face?

**How'd ya like that? **

**Thank you Eighp for the review; you helped. I hope I didn't disappoint. **

**-M**


	5. Chapter 5

**Fleeting Freedom – Chapter Five**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews; love them all. Also a big thanks to Eighp; you sure do help a lot **

**Not too long. I'm on holiday till the end of the week and I've got exams after so won't be able to update for a while. But then after next Friday I'm on the longest holiday I'll ever get so there should be a few then. **

**Enjoy…**

(Elena's POV)

I didn't see Damon again for a few days. Well…not personally. He stopped by but Jeremy told him I was at Bonnie's or Caroline's who then told his I was somewhere else. It wasn't planned; I'd said nothing, but I think that Caroline had something to do with it. She'd come round everyday to talk and help me with anything I needed. I don't think she understood my reaction to Damon, but then again, neither did I.

Right now, it was 7 o'clock and we were sitting on my bed, listening to music, drinking tea and eating the cake that we spent the afternoon making; standard. "Mmm…I love me some Lemon Drizzle Cake." She sighed in contentment and I laughed.

"I second that notion." The loaf was on a plate in the middle of the bed and we just _kept_ taking slices; what can I say? It was pretty damn good. I leant back on my pillow and switched the song on the iPod speakers (also on the bed), "Love me some Vaccines." She smirked; we shared a look before both bursting out singing;

"_I can barely look at you, don't tell me who you lost it to. _

_Didn't we say we had a deal? Didn't I say how bad I feel?"_

We were screaming at the tops of our voices, this song deserved to be heard

"_Post break-up seeex that helps you forget your ex._

_What did you expect, from post break up seeexxxx?"_

We burst out laughing; totally oblivious to the three guys standing in the hall watching us with totally baffled expressions. Caroline turned and saw them, and then I did but only quieting to giggle slightly. We were both too happy off all this sugar.

"Wow…" Alaric said in a surprised tone. Jeremy just looked exasperated and then there was Damon. Seeing him my heart began to speed up and the smile fell from my face. Caroline looked at me cautiously but we had to keep up a front.

"'Lena, I know you like singing…but really?" Jeremy smirked, walking into my room and slouching onto the side of the bed, "And you made cake and didn't give me any! You're a bad sister." He teased, reaching over to cut himself a slice.

"Oi! We put a lot of time and effort into making that!" Caroline responded with a grin as he stuffed the slice in his mouth, "And you are lovely." She added sarcastically with a grimace.

He shrugged, "Tastes good. Y'alright sis?" he asked, pushing my knee gently to get my attention. I hadn't realised that I'd just been staring at Damon the whole time, silently panicking. I wanted to scream at him to go away! And at the same time I wanted him to come closer and hug me but I knew the second he came within two metres of me; his face would…change, and not in the vamping-out way. "Elena?"

I blinked and looked at him, "Yeah, I'm fine. Spaced out for a minute."

"Well what do you expect, from post-break-up sex?" Caroline asked, totally straight faced and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Just leave it till the guilt consumes, fucking in the nearest room." I continued, just like we were having a real conversation. The others looked totally lost; I tried to ignore Damon's presence. I think Caroline knew that's what I was doing so she carried on.

"All our friends were unaware; most had just past out downstairs." She sighed, and shrugged; making me crack a smile.

"To think I'd hope you'd be okay…"

"Now I can't think of what to say!"

"Maybe I misunderstood…"

I sighed and nodded, "But I can't believe you're feeling good from-"

"POST BREAK-UP SEX!" Caroline and Jeremy both yelled and we all burst out laughing again, "You two are crazy." He smirked, standing up and ruffling Caroline's hair before heading to the door. Bad. Move.

She blocked him before he could reach it and caught him in a head-lock, "Ooh, baby-Gilbert I am _so_ getting you back for that." She growled as he laughed. "But patience is a virtue. I'll get you when you least expect it." She let him go and he grinned at her before leaving for his room. Alaric shook his head and headed back downstairs, leaving Damon in the hallway, still watching me with a strange expression on his face. An awkward silence fell over the room, all previous light-heartedness evaporating rapidly.

"Elena, can I talk to you…without Barbie's presence?" He questioned carefully.

I caught Caroline's searching gaze and shook my head infinitesimally; panicking at just the idea of being alone with him again. "Umm…I'm kinda tired…" Yeah I was a horrible liar, but I wasn't thinking. I could feel my heart beating in my ears and I was pretty sure the two vampires present were more than aware of that.

Caroline stepped in to help, "Yeah, she hasn't been sleeping well. We should leave her be." She told him, he looked confused and I could tell he knew there was something going on. He never liked being the one left on the outside. I could feel his gaze boring a hole into the side of my head but refused to meet his eyes, "Get some rest El. And remember what I said earlier," Of course, she was limiting me to one shower a day. Fuck my life. She picked up the plates and leant over to press a kiss to the side of my head. Truthfully, she was the only one I'd let touch me now; she was the only one I felt comfortable around. Hence the crazy singing moment. "Text me in the morning."

I nodded and glanced up to see her 'subtly' dragging a reluctant and seemingly annoyed Damon out of my room; closing the door behind them. My pulse began slow to a regular speed again.

Well that was awkward.

(Caroline's POV)

The second the door was closed he slammed me into the wall; his hand slowly cutting off my unnecessary air supply, "What- Get off Damon!" I exclaimed, clawing at his hand but he was relentless. I kind of understood where his anger was coming from; it was justifiable…because it was Damon and it was Elena.

"What is going on Caroline?" Oh…now he hadn't called me _that_ in a very long time. He must be pissed. It was usually Barbie, Vampire Barbie or Blondie. "So help me God, if you don't tell me-"  
>"I'm not telling you anything when you're trying to crush my neck." He glared at me but let me go, "Outside." I said simply and we both dashed out of the house to the large back garden.<p>

"Now talk."

He was demanding wasn't he. "Damon, seriously; you need to back away. Just leave her alone, she _needs_ time."

A low growl erupted from his chest but I stood my ground, "Tell me what happened to her!" he snarled. God he really was fuming; I never realised quite how much Elena actually meant to him.

"No. I'm not telling you anything. You can stake me all you want but all you'll do is hurt her." If he had a stake on him I'd be all grey and veiny by now. "You have to understand, Damon. She doesn't want to be around you right now. I don't think she wants to be around anyone really."

"Why not? She's fine around you, Jeremy and Alaric, just not me. She doesn't stare at you like she'd terrified out of her mind. What's wrong with her?" he yelled, his eyes were dark and furious; tell-tale veins appearing around his eyes and his fangs emerging.

"Because it's not you she's seeing! From a distance she can tell it's you, but once you get close, she's seeing someone else's face. That's what scares her. She _is _terrified; yes. _You_ can't deal with this. The more you push her then the worse she'll get and the less likely she is to ever let you back in. so just back off, and give her space." I told him in my 'that's the last word' voice.

He glared at me for another minute; and, ignore the cliché, but if looks could kill I'd be a pile of ash right now. Then without another word he disappeared.

Well that was tense.

**I love that song; it's so good. The Vaccines- 'Post Break-Up Sex' if you're interested. **

**Good? Bad? Tell me what you think.**

**-M**


	6. Chapter 6

**Fleeting Freedom – Chapter Six**

**I LOVE YOU ALL! I **_**never**_** get this many reviews! Mental…**

**Also, I'm going to apologize in advance for the amount of angst in this chapter; for one I can't write it and two, too much of it can be **_**so**_** dull. Hence the little karaoke moment last chapter **

(Elena's POV)

I was driving Damon crazy…yes; Damon _Salvatore_ was indeed losing his mind. And I wasn't even trying. This came from Caroline…and Jeremy, and Bonnie, Alaric…even Tyler. I didn't know what I was meant to do but I wasn't going to see him again; I couldn't go into that situation again. If I acted like I did last time again, which is inevitable, and then he'd eventually figure out what happened. So I just had to keep my distance until this all blows over.

Wishful thinking much.

I knew him well enough now…actually I probably knew him better than anyone (apart from the newly elusive Stefan). I knew he'd spent 145 years relentlessly trying to get into that tomb and find Katherine. If my plan was to work; I had to make a world record for the longest ever cold-shoulder. Difficult when you life in a small town and the 'person' you're trying to avoid is literally _always_ there. And he was utterly persistent.

Even with Caroline and the others on my side, I knew I couldn't avoid him forever. Unless I skipped town again which I wasn't planning on doing for a _very_ long time. It didn't even last a day.

(Damon's POV)

I'd had enough. I couldn't do this anymore; couldn't cope not knowing what had happened. Because something _had _happened. Caroline made that abundantly clear with her little lecture last night. But I knew Elena and I knew that even for her; this was a strong reaction. Whatever happened in New York must have been bad. Perhaps worse than finding out that one of the oldest vampires in the world is hunting you down to sacrifice you so they can produce an army of hybrid werewolf/vampires. Well…maybe not that bad,

So I ignored Caroline's warnings and I decided to go find out on my own. They were all trying to stop me from seeing her; Sabrina (the _Teenage_ Witch) tried to distract me with finding St. Stefan. Vampire Barbie just hung around Elena's house to stop me going in. Ghost-whisperer- baby-Gilbert kept asking me to help find out a reason behind his newfound ability to see dead people. Teacher-dude kept dragging me down to wallow at the Grill. Hell, even wolf-boy tried to stop me once when he was at there house. He quickly realised that that was a bad move…he had almost killed me two weeks ago and I hadn't liked him much before that either.

I hung around for a while, waiting for Caroline to leave as she had done every night at around 9 o'clock. The second her car turned the last corner and disappeared from view, I made my move.

(Elena's POV)

I was sitting on my bed in my pyjamas; writing in my diary with Death Cab for Cutie was playing softly in the background. I leant across to switch the song and when I sat back I let out an ear-splitting scream and leapt across the room to cower in the corner. Staring at Damon in absolute terror. He'd just appeared, lying down casually on my bed like he always used to. But now I was literally going into cardiac arrest and he looked so bemused and worried.

"Whoa! What the hell!" he exclaimed, standing up slowly, hands out towards me slightly in a calming motion, "What's wrong 'Lena?"

See Damon…go away…this is _Damon_! I took a deep breath, "Umm…five minutes…" I managed before bolting out of my room and downstairs to the kitchen. Alaric was staying at his apartment (which Bonnie had cast a spell on to retract and invitations for vampires to enter) and Jeremy was at Bonnie's until later. Being home alone just made Damon's sudden presence all the more frightening. Maybe I should call Caroline to come back…oh wait…my phone was in my room.

It hit me that I'd just totally given myself away; not that it wasn't obvious before. Popping up out of nowhere, usually just appearing on my bed, was typical Damon. He'd flash a cocky smirk (which I secretly loved), occasionally try to kiss me, perhaps snap my brother's neck when I said no…standard. I never screamed like that.

House phone.

I rushed back out to the hall where the phone sat on the table by the stairs; I glanced up before dialling Caroline's number.

Ring ring…ring ring…ring ring…

"Pick up, c'mon Caroline…" I muttered, bouncing slightly on my feet. I sighed at the sound of her bubbly voice on the voice mail. "Shit…" Just then the doorbell rang; the impatient visitor began knocking swiftly on wood. Another sigh and I crossed the hall to open the door to find…coincidence…Caroline.

She walked straight in and turned to face me as I closed the door, "We have a problem. _BIG, _big problem." She said immediately.

Oh God, "What is it?"

She seemed to take a deep breath, "I was so worried about you. I just wanted to get you out of there and back to the room." My expression was one of horror that clearly yelled 'shut-the-hell-up-_right_-now' but she was oblivious, damn. "I wasn't thinking straight!-"

"Caro-"

"I compelled him to stay where he was!" she cried out.

Oh shit, "_CAROLINE! Stop talking!_ …Now," I yelled at her. She froze, confused; then recognition flashed across her face and her hand flew to cover her mouth.

"Damon?" she gasped as he suddenly appeared between us. I flinched and stepped closer to Caroline, he was glaring at us both. She looked absolutely horrified while I was just scared (again). I don't know how much of this my poor little heart could take; I could feel it slamming into my rib-cage, "Fuck! I'm so sorry Elena! I should've checked…fuck…"

I shook my head slightly, still staring at Damon with wide eyes, "What happened to you Elena? Who was compelled?" he demanded, his blue eyes intensified to the max. When neither of us answered he let out a growl, "God dammit Elena! Tell me now!" His anger only served to scare me more and I think he knew it. I wasn't lying when I'd said how pathetic I'd gotten. I'd had originals trying to kill me, I'd been killed, I had a psycho vampire doppelganger…all pretty scary, but no…I was more scared of my best friend. Pathetic. His front faltered and he glanced at Caroline, "What's wrong with her?"

"Elena? Calm down El," She soothed quietly, knowing how I felt. The likeness in colouring between Damon and my attacker was astounding; I was so wrapped up in it I hardly took any attention of what was going on, "She's scared."

No, I had to stop being scared. I shook myself and spoke one word, "Kitchen." I edged past them and they followed. Once there I turned to face Caroline, ignoring Damon as best I could, "What do you mean you compelled him to stay where he was?"

"I mean I compelled him not to go anywhere. As in, he hasn't moved in all this time." She told me, "As in he's still there now."

Even though I knew that I still felt the blood drain from my face. I'd been relying on the fact that I'd never see the guy again so I had to move on; I couldn't keep mulling over what would happen if I could see him. Now we knew exactly where he was. But it had been a long time; maybe he was dead…I came to this conclusion, "I'm not telling Damon then." Totally ignoring his wholly baffled presence, "Wasn't really planning on it anyway but now…no."

"Elena I know you're kinda freaking out right now but seriously, he will help."

"No. I'm trying not to acknowledge him being here right now; hence I can actually get words out." It wasn't a lie. She looked at me with pity in her eyes and I just shook my head, "He can't help."

"How about we see what 'he' thinks?" I bit my lip and tried not to look at the blatantly angry vampire, "None of us are leaving until I know what's going on." I wasn't telling him, I'd refuse. But maybe…just maybe…if he knew and I knew that he knew, then I'd start seeing him again. I'd be able to block out the other face. Or perhaps that would happen when I know that the guy is dead. I hadn't noticed the silence in the room while I was thinking, "Elena, tell me. God damn it I am _worried_ about you now. Please."

I frowned and glanced at him for a second, immediately looking back down at the awful face hovering over his, "I can't see him Caroline…" I murmured, looking at her, and then back at Damon for a second, "I can't see _your_ face. I want to…I really do. I want to be able to tell you but I can't talk to you. I can't even _look_ at you."

He stepped closer but I just stepped back, "You're talking to me now." He said quietly and I frowned.

"Elena, are you okay? I'll take you to mine if you want…" Caroline asked cautiously.

I shook my head, "No, I'm fine. I'm fine. You can go if you want. If I'm going to tell him then you better not be here." Why did I say that! I wasn't going to tell him! Now he wouldn't leave me alone until he knew. Well he wouldn't anyway but I just made it a whole lot worse.

She looked surprised, "Um…yeah, I get that. He'll stake me. Be careful. And call me later." I nodded and she looked at Damon, "Call me if she panics at all." Then she gave me a kiss on the cheek before reluctantly leaving the house.

Enter crazy heart.

I was alone…with Damon…in my kitchen…and by choice. WHY! I was so _dumb_! For a minute we just stared at one another, and then he broke the tense silence, "Why does she think I'll stake her? And, why is she telling you to be careful, with me?" he sounded almost offended by the idea.

Watching him carefully, I shrugged, "You'll blame her. You'll blame her for what happened because other than me there's nobody else to blame. She's a vampire; it's 'her duty to ensure my safety at all times'" I said sarcastically. Sure I was scared; but this was inevitable. I was talking to _Damon_…_not_ anyone else. Get that in your head woman! "Careful just in case you do blame me."

His eyes widened slightly, "I wouldn't hurt you Elena! You _know_ I'd never touch you!" Okay, now he was annoyed again. Well done Elena.

"Course," I muttered, pressing myself back against the counter and avoiding his fuming gaze. "We were in New York for a time-out. Like Georgia but minus the kidnapping." I began after a deep breath to muster up my last scraps of courage. "Vampire-style shopping sprees at day and just clubs every night. One night she even took me to the top of the Empire State Building…and I mean, King-Kong-type top. That was fun," I remembered that clearly; the night before everything went downhill. We'd been passing and she decided we should go up. Then once we were up there she grabbed me and jumped to the top. Terrifying…cold…but _so_ cool. He looked a little more concerned, "Don't worry, I didn't fall off." I wouldn't be here would I?

"That's good, keep going."

"Fine. Night time? We went to the clubs; and they were good. We got all dressed up and just danced all night, every night. Drank way too much of course." Here we go. Why am I going to do this? Why am I telling _him_ this? Sure maybe it will help…but I'm still going to be scared of him aren't I. "One night we both drank way too much. We were hanging around with these guys. Even Caroline was totally wasted; she disappeared for a while with one of them. This guy took me to a booth…there were other people there," I was wracking my brains trying to remember everything, "It's kinda fuzzy but I remember taking some pill that they gave me. I'm not sure. It was a pretty dumb thing to d-"

"You were drugged!" he exploded suddenly, his anger bubble bursting, "You just took some unknown drug! Are you an idiot? What the fuck Elena?" he yelled and I winced.

"I wasn't exactly thinking straight was I?" I countered, "It's not the first time I've taken drugs. Before my parents died I wasn't this boring." I scowled at him and for a minute it felt like three weeks ago when we could just be around each other effortlessly, the moment passed as quick as it came, "Anyway. I was with this guy-" Okay, more anger there, "Don't worry…I didn't go home with anyone." Choosing words carefully now.

"You better not have," he muttered under his breath.

I slowly pushed myself up onto the counter and began tracing the grain of the wood lightly with my finger. I didn't want to look at him now…I didn't want to see his reaction. Deep breath…"He looked like you. Well…at least in my blurry memory; he had dark hair and blue eyes. I think I thought he was you…and I'm always safe with you…but that wasn't you." My finger pressed harder against the wood, "I can't remember it much but we were suddenly outside and…" my vision blurred and my voice began to tremble slightly, "Caroline got there before it got too bad."

The tension was incredible; he was still staring at me with those intense eyes which I refused to meet, "What do you mean 'before it got too bad'? What did he do to you?"

I bit my trembling lip and finally met his eyes, staring pleadingly, "You know…" I managed, almost inaudibly.

He looked furious but refuse to believe me, "He…he raped you?" It was more of a statement. I looked down and nodded vaguely. That was enough for him. I literally jumped out of my skin at the sound of his roar of fury and the crash as he punched a hole straight through the kitchen wall. He braced himself against it; head down, back to me and the extreme rage rolled off of him in waves. I found myself hoping that Jeremy didn't walk in now…he'd most likely have his head ripped off.

"Damon?" I whispered, feeling immensely weak and pathetic again. He exhaled slowly and straightened up, the muscles rippling in his back as he did so. His face was totally vamped-out when he turned to face me but I wasn't scared now. I was relieved.

That was _his_ face. Damon's beautiful face. Right now…the best sight in the world.

He sighed and all his anger seemed to drain out of him. He shook his head, crossed the room without hesitation and pulled me straight into a bone-crushing bear hug. My breath caught in my throat and I recoiled but when he refused to let me go I let myself relax into him, "I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry 'Lena," he muttered into my hair. A tear slipped down my cheek which only brought others to follow.

Neither of us moved for a long time and by the time we did, his shirt was wet and my eyes were raw, "Sorry," I sniffed, one hand wiping my eyes while the other feeble brushed at the patch on his black shirt, "I ruined your shirt."

He had a frown on his face, like he didn't know what I was going to do, "It's nothing, I've got some more." Understatement of the century.

"Just a few," I said with a small smile, trying to lighten the air a bit. Or course with Damon that only works when he wants it to.

"'Lena, don't change the subject."

"Why not? I don't want to talk about it! Not with Bonnie, or Jeremy or Caroline. I wouldn't talk about it with Stefan and I'm not talking about it with you. I didn't even want to tell you but I figured that you'd find out eventually and wouldn't stop bugging me until you did. Then also, maybe if I told you I wouldn't be scared of you anymore." He opened his mouth to interrupt but I stopped him, "And now that you know, you won't let it be. You'll expect me to lie around in bed for days, crying and wallowing. I've done that…I'm _over_ that. I just want to forget it now. And if you keep bringing it up or doing what Caroline does and giving me those looks…I'll never get over it." My voice had risen to a shout almost and he seemed a little taken aback by my rant. I sighed, "It's bad enough I'll never forget it."

"'Lena…-" he began softly but I knew what he'd say.

"I won't! I'll always remember it. I screamed at my own brother when he woke me up. Just because he touched me. You saw what happened when you did your little creepy-vampire-apparition thing. I literally had a heart attack."

He looked torn, like he wanted to comfort me but didn't know how, "What can I do?" he asked instead.

I shrugged and shook my head, "I don't know Damon. Nothing, just forget it and enjoy that you can."

"You think I'll be able to? How can I! I'll never get it out of my head that someone did that to you and I will never let you out of my sight again! You_ know_ that I love you Elena, and I _never _love people…anymore…" he told me sincerely, "I can't forgot any more than you can."

Why was his face blurring? Oh yeah, I was crying again. "I'm sorry Damon. I am," I muttered, just staring down at the patch on his shirt to avoid his eyes. He hooked his finger under my chin and pulled my face up to meet his again. His face was still vamped-out; it was strange how comforting it was. I reached up a hand to run my fingers across the rough, protruding, dark veins.

For a minute he looked confused, then apologetic, "Shit, sorry…" he moved to turn his head and force the effects away but I caught his face gently to stop him; my hand just cupping his cheek slightly.

He looked unsure and I shook my head, "Don't…just leave it…if you can."

"What? Why?" I should get a medal for making Damon Salvatore speechless so many times.

"Cos it's you. When you look like this I don't see _his_ face…I see yours." Understanding covered his features and he nodded, but I noticed how his jaw clenched. He was probably insulted by that, "I'm sorry!…I can't help that. It's not like I want to see it but I can't stop it."

"Hey, don't worry about it. We'll get through it, right?" he caught my hand in his and I sighed, meeting his gaze and I nodded. Just then I heard the front door open and a second later, Jeremy walked in.

"Jesus! What the fuck happened to the wall!"

**You wanted him to find out? He found out. I hope it wasn't a disappointment. **

**I can feel the writers-block coming now so if anyone has ideas; I'd love to hear them, they help a lot. **

**-M**


	7. Chapter 7

**Fleeting Freedom – Chapter Seven**

**Here comes the writers-block-ramble…enjoy**

(Elena's POV)

I think I felt better now that I knew that Damon knew. He'd left a few hours ago after Jeremy made him promise to fix the wall sometime. Then, feeling totally emotionally drained I fell fast asleep on the couch in the living room; hence why my back felt like the muscles were being torn apart. Not comfortable in the slightest.

Sitting up, I let out a groan and tried to stretch it out but of course, useless. "You alright there?" I jumped and spun round to see Alaric sipping a mug of tea at the kitchen table, newspaper open in front of him.

"Oh…yeah, sore back." I told him before standing up and walking through to the kitchen to pour myself some coffee.

"Um, Elena…I was just wondering something. Kinda baffled me when I got here this morning." I looked at him expectantly and he stood up, walking over. Then he stopped by the wall, looked down pointedly, then back at me, "_Why_…is there a gaping hole in the wall?"

I laughed quietly and shrugged, "It's what happens when you're friends with vampires." He raised an eyebrow, "Damon got a little moody last night."

That was explanation enough and he nodded, "So you're talking to him again? What changed?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "Not much, I can barely remember why I was mad at him in the first place." Why where the quality of my lies so temperamental? "He's coming round today though; Jeremy made him promise to fix that." I said, sipping my coffee and heading to the door. It wasn't so bad anymore but whenever I was alone with any man now, my heart did go a little crazy and there was still that fear hovering around the edges. It was ridiculous really; Alaric was like our adopted dad…but it seemed to make no difference. I'm gonna go get changed. See you later," I dashed upstairs, and grabbed some underwear before locking myself in the bathroom. Oh boy did that hot water feel good. I let out a sigh and tried to stretch out my tense back but of course that was useless. After about ten minutes I shut off the water and put on the underwear. Then, because a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, I whipped out my razor and set about shaving my legs; one foot rested in the water-filled sink. And because I'm fantastic at multitasking…ahem…I brushed my teeth at the same time while listening to the radio. Lost in my own little world, humming along to the Bombay Bicycle Club, I jumped violently when the previously locked door sprang open. "Ow! Fuck!" I let out a little yelp, feeling the sting from the bad cut on my shin, "Caroline! What the hell!"

The blonde vampire looked a little guilty, breathing deeply to try and keep calm and refrain from killing me, "Sorry; you weren't answering and I was getting worried. And I could hear the razor…-"she added with an almost timid and indicative expression.

My mouth fell open at the suggestion, "Care! You think- I wouldn't-"

"I know! I know…it's just…after everything that's happened. And then you weren't answering and I asked you to call me but you didn't and I was worried cos' of Damon and everything and I'm talking too much again…"

I sighed and grabbed some tissue to wipe away the thick trail of blood that ran all the way down from my knee, "I know it hasn't exactly been the best time recently; bad things have happened and everything. But I'm not about to _kill_ myself Caroline. Besides, everyone's already lost enough. And deny it all you want but none of that would have happened if I wasn't here. If I committed suicide, first it would be unbelievable selfish. Then it would mean that Jenna, John…even Jules, they all died in vain. If I wasn't here, then Damon wouldn't have been bitten, meaning Stefan wouldn't be a Ripper again…me killing myself? Pretty damn self-centred move that." I told her, switching legs and getting back to work, "So don't worry. No suicide watch necessary."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her open her mouth to speak but another voice broke into the conversation before she could, "What's all this about suicide? Elena if you're even _thinking_ about it…-"Damn Damon! He appeared in the doorway, looked at me and gaped slightly before righting himself, "Whoops-"

"Salvatore! Out!" Caroline yelled, pushing him out of the room with vampire strength. "You okay El?"

"I'm fine! Damon knows by the way." I said, grabbing the first thing I saw in the room and pulled it on. "Can't a girl do a bit o' grooming in peace?" I smirked and walked past her into my room. Damon was looking at me with an expression somewhere between awe and shock, "What?" My heart was already racing a bit but I refused to be scared of him anymore.

"Since when did you steal my clothes?"

Well I wasn't expecting that. I looked down to see I was wearing a black button up shirt, "This is yours?" He nodded and I suddenly felt incredible awkward; not to mention self-conscious having my legs totally on show and just now realising that the shirt only had two buttons done up in the middle, "Oh…well…I have no idea. I thought it was Jeremy's…or maybe it was Stefan's?"

He shrugged, "No matter, looks better on you." Oh God why did he have to do that eye thing and make me blush. Then he just looked smug.

Caroline cleared her throat to gain our attention and I only felt more awkward, "Um…right, how about we let Elena get dressed and then we can talk. Damon, downstairs." She commanded and just about dragged him out of the room. I sighed and reached into my over-flowing wardrobe and pulled out some black Nike tracksuits and a black tank top, then some ankle socks. I gave up on drying my hair quickly and instead piled it on top of my head in a sort of bun; a few strands escaping quickly. Giving up, I headed downstairs to the smell of scrambled eggs on toast. And sure enough there was Caroline cooking by the grill while Damon buttered toast. What a strange sight this was.

"Two vampires _cooking_? For _me_?" I smirked, sliding into the bar stool on the other side of the counter Damon was at, facing him.

"Anything for _you_ Miss Gilbert." He mimicked in a high-pitched voice. I laughed and reached to break off a bit of bread but he waved the knife at my hand, "Patience is a virtue,"

I shot him a mock-glare as Caroline walked over with the pan, pouring the egg out onto three plates on top of the bread, "And virtue is a grace," she agreed, a playful glint in her eye as she glanced at me.

"And I suppose Grace was a little girl who never washed her face…" I finished with a sigh and a smile. Caroline had been saying that for years; then we met someone called Grace at school she seemed to have a similar problem. "You're mean." I told her.

"What! She didn't!" I laughed, they both sat down and we all began to eat in silence. I guess it was a bit of a strange sight for Jeremy to walk into five minutes later.

He paused at the door, looking between us in almost concern, "What's going on…?"

"Breakfast with a Vampire." I grinned at him; he'd been watching the film 'Interview with a Vampire' last week, "But instead of Brad Pitt…the one and only Damon Salvatore." Caroline laughed and Jeremy just rolled his eyes amusedly and left.

Damon looked a bit put out, "Comparing me to _Brad Pitt_? Really? I am _so_ much hotter than him."

Caroline gawked at him while I just laughed at his blatant arrogance. He wouldn't really be him without it. "Brad Pitt is beautiful!" She literally shouted.

"So am I!" He retorted. They looked like two toddlers having an argument over who gets to play with the toy.

"Yeah but sorry, so not on His level!"

Harsh, Damon sent her a death glare, and then turned on me, "What do you think Elena?" I froze, suddenly having them both drilling daggers into my head. This felt more like choosing Damon or Caroline. But if I said that Damon was better looking, then that could be a bit awkward…

"Elena? You have loved Brad Pitt _forever_." Caroline informed me, hidden messages screaming.

Oh the tension in this room, "Yeah but that beard…" I began, seeing the hopeful look in Damon's eyes, "I mean yeah…he's buff and all…but…"  
>"Just <em>talk <em>Elena! You agree with _me_."

I made a face and looked between them, then up at the ceiling, "Fine! Damon's better looking!"

"_YES!_ I know it. She knows it. And you…Blondie…you know it." Oh god the levels of cockiness were so going to sky rocket. "I knew you liked me Elena." He added with a smirk.

Don't blush; he _cannot_ know that's true! "You wish." I rolled my eyes, standing and gathering all the plates to put in the dishwasher.

Caroline stood up dejectedly, "Whatever, Damon we should go."

I frowned, turning to face them, "Where you going?"

They shared a look before she turned back to me, usual bright smile in place, "It's a surprise."

Yeah, cos I was just _that_ gullible, I turned to Damon, "What are you doing?" He's more likely to tell me.

"Surprise," he said with a wink. I didn't cease the glare on him, demanding him to tell me with my eyes. He just sighed and shook his head, "You're so annoying 'Lena. It's almost your birthday-" he was cut of my Caroline's hand slapping down on his mouth.

"We'll see you later." I forced a smile, and waved as they left the room. Then my eyes narrowed, staring after them; they were lying to me. Surely vampires should be better at lying than _that_.

(Damon's POV)

"Well that was close."

I ripped shoved Caroline's hand away from my face as we made our way to my car, "Seriously? 'It's a surprise'? Of course she wouldn't believe that." I rolled my eyes and put the car into drive, heading for the interstate.

"Well I apologize; I find it difficult lying to my friends. I doubt you'd understand." She retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching backwards into the seat.

"No I don't. And she's my friend too but I still retain the ability to lie to her occasionally. Especially when it's for her own good." I shot back, pressing down on the accelerator as we hit the main road north.

"And that only proves that I'm a better person that you are! _I_ don't lie to my friends. _You_ barely even _have_ friends to lie to. Apart from Mr Saltzman but all you two ever do is drink or hide bodies."

I shot her a bored glare, "Firstly, neither or us are 'people'…we're vampires. And I do have friends; Elena and Alaric are my friends. Then I have friends out of this little world of yours in Mystic Falls. I have been alive for a while you know." I explained, boredom dripping from my voice, "Then quite a few of the bodies we hide have been people _you've _killed so you're not a better 'person' than me."

"But I am."  
>"But you're <em>not<em>."

"But I –"I shot her a withering look and interrupted her with the radio, full blast. This was going to be tedious.

A few hours later we arrived in New York. Bothersome-Blondie directing me through the roads and avenues until we reached a dingy looking block somewhere in downtown Manhattan. In the daylight the club looked pretty shit really; the word 'Firez' was written in lights and the whole front was painted black. I parked the car and we got out.

"Hey Damon, don't just kill the guy okay." Caroline warned me before we got out and crossed the street, me following her. She led the way down a dingy looking alley to the side of the club, which then opened out to a wider one in the back that seemed to cross right through the block. It was filled with overflowing bins and smelt like piss.

About ten metres away, between two bins, stood a man. He was glaring at Caroline murderously, "There he is." She smiled evilly. In a second I was standing a metre in front of him. I didn't really see what Elena meant that he looked like me; apart from the black hair and the roughly blue eyes. He wasn't bad looking and a little shorter than me; dressed in black clothes that really didn't smell too good.

"Name." I said simply, trying to keep the rage inside me from exploding…yet. This guy deserved a longer death than a snapped neck.

"Artie." He spat back, trying to hide his obvious terror with confidence.

"Well _Artie_…I have a bone to pick with you." I glanced back to see Caroline leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed and an evil smirk on her face.

He kept looking over at her; there was even anger in his eyes, "What did you do to me? I've been standing here for a fucking week! I didn't even do anything-"SLAM. He flew into the wall the second my fist collided with his face. But the compulsion just dragged him back to the same spot like a rag doll. I smirked as he caught his bleeding nose and stared around in confusion. "What the-"

"You did nothing wrong? Really?"

"I DID NOTHING TO YOU! JUST LET ME GO!" he shouted and I laughed humourlessly.

"Oh but you did." I stepped closer, leaning over him slightly, "You _raped_. Elena. My Elena…you hurt her, so I will hurt you." He was literally shaking in his tatty boots.

I heard Caroline step up and walk to the stand beside me, he didn't know where to look, "Damon, should I take away the compulsion away?" she questioned.

I smirked and nodded, "Yes…let him run." She looked confused and did as I said. He seemed to hover unnerved for a second before taking off full pelt down the alley. I gave him just enough time so that he thought he'd gotten away from it. Then I effortlessly blocked his path, grabbed him by the neck and dragged him all the way back. "Now I could compel you…but you deserve this pain. You deserve the terror…because I'm going to make you feel that terror that she felt. And I am going to make it a _million_ times worse."

(Caroline's POV)

I'd never seen Damon this angry before. He was like a monster…I was infinitely glad that I wasn't that man, he must be literally shitting himself. But I felt no guilt for him. And that in itself was strange. Usually I knew when and where to try and stop Damon…but first, the way he is now nobody could stop him. Second? If he wasn't doing it, I would be. While Elena and I had been here, I'd just wanted to get her away. Then I couldn't leave her. I had no time to come back here and deal with the guy. Then again, it hardly registered in my mind that he wasn't moving until that time I told her.

There was a piercing scream as Damon ripped off two of mans fingers. I winced slightly, imagining the pain. Damon was all vamped out, more so than I'd seen before. From what I heard, he was acting kinda like a Ripper. Like Stefan. He was relentless and cold. Terrifying.

Three hours of this torture, five fingers, a few large chunks of skin and a whole lot of blood later, Monster-Damon stepped away from the writhing body, still alive but well into a world of pain. He looked repulsed by the man, but pleased, "I should leave him like this. Leave him to die in this pain."

"Damon you're going a bit crazy." I informed him, staring pointedly at that man.

"Yep. But what this dude did…he's worse." He glared at the man, venom dripping from his tone.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked, unsure.

He looked up at the now dark sky and then smoothed the sleeve of his leather jacked, "We're gonna put him in the car." Right then. Within five minutes, he was indeed in the trunk of the car. Damon drove in a stony silence until about halfway back to Mystic Falls. I'd had a strange thought that maybe he was taking the guy back to show Elena. Then I realised that that idea was absolutely ridiculous. Damon would never hurt Elena. And bringing this guy back into her life would definitely hurt her.

We stopped halfway back, driving down a deserted forest road for a few hours. Then we got out, he grabbed the guys mutilated arm and simply dragged him out of the car and along the forest floor. I followed tentatively, hearing his faint pleas. I wasn't sure if I should stop Damon or not…he was being a little extreme at the moment. After a while he suddenly broke the silence, "Caroline go back to the car."

I blinked in surprise, "What? Why?"

He shot me a fierce look, "Just do it."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Yes Boss." And I turned and ran away. But I didn't get back in time to miss the sound of that final drawn-out scream.

**Well that's a bit darker than I usually write, so apologize for the poor quality. **

**I am officially on my 3 month summer holidays (heaven) but I am getting a job so I might not be able to update that much. I'll try my hardest though…I think this story's almost finished though; maybe one or two more chapters.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**-M **


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